One feature of living in western Oregon, aside from all the rain, is the predominance of slugs...
They seem to show up everywhere:
and you just learn to live with them...
...until they show up in a spot where you, quite simply, cannot tolerate them.
Every night, when I head out to lock up my goat boys, Pete and Reggie, I walk past Honey's crate. Honey, you may recall, is my chicken who divorced herself from my bigger chicken flock (<-- click on link for original story) and now lives a life with her new flock of donkeys, cats, llama, and goats. She sleeps at night in a dog crate on my side porch.
Tonight, when I stepped out onto the porch, this is the first thing I saw on the ground in front of me. Ewww:
My garden clippers, however, are swift and sure and he was expedited in the quickest of manners.
I shined my light into Honey's crate just to make sure all is well and wish her a good night ....
What? Wait a minute:
Seriously?!
Five of these disgusting things had decided to bed down with my chicken:
These were good-sized puppies, too:
There you go, sweetheart. That's much better, right? Hold on...what's that over your head?!:
Oh, for PETE'S sake!:
This one had spots. Fancy:
I think it's safe to go back to sleep now, Honey:
That just wasn't right.
Maybe she was saving them for a midnight snack!
ReplyDeleteBlech...ooog. Poor Honey. If even chickens don't eat slugs then they must be disgusting - tee hee. My lady used to have what she called "slug fest" when she had an infestation and would go out with a cup of salt to dispatch them with. It's so dry here there isn't a slug to be seen. I think they've all moved West.
ReplyDeleteI would have thought she would eat them...odd. I saw a video on slugs mating once. One of the most beautiful things I ever saw-that's wrong.
ReplyDeleteWell, this will be the last time I sit down at the computer with my morning coffee and check on critter farm. Eww. I'll be reading your posts in the afternoon!
ReplyDeleteI hate them too. Sometimes they get into my kitchen.
ReplyDeleteI thought chickens ate them, or perhaps it was ducks?
Either way, I join you in your grossed-out-ness. ;-)
Poor you and poor Honey! I think I could manage snakes more gracefully than slugs of this size. GROSS!
ReplyDeleteSay the word and I'll put one of my neanderthal New Mexican chickens on the next plane. Peach would probably make mincemeat out of those evil things.
ReplyDeleteEwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!! those are gross. I can't believe how GINORMOUS they are. We have slugs here but they aren't that abundant and that HUGE! What a good mommy you are. Thanks for sharing....I think :)
ReplyDeleteOoooh they're nasty looking little things. Poor Honey!!
ReplyDeleteEwww! I bet Honey was glad you took care of those slugs for her!
ReplyDeleteOne word....YUCK! You are a good Mommy to get rid of them for her.
ReplyDeleteSteph
ewwwwwwwww. They give me the heebies.
ReplyDeleteYou know...a few ducks might just solve your problem there.
ReplyDeleteI thought awhile back you might have said your farm family was complete, but I can't seem to find that post. Must not exist. =D
Get ducks!
Can you hear my "Eeewwww" all the way from central Texas? I'd be putting pans of beer everywhere to try to kill the darn things. I like my bugs to have exoskeleton or exo-somethings. I think it's the sliminess that gets to me. Poor Honey. I'm glad you helped her out!
ReplyDeletePoor Honey! I'm so glad you checked on her. EEEEUUUUUWWWWW!
ReplyDeletePoor Honey. That's disgusting. Good thing they don't live in New Mexico, 'cause there's another chicken that would have them for breakfast. *grin*
ReplyDeleteEwww - is right, and I thought I had it bad with bufo toad babies everywhere. Poor Honey. Those things would gross me out Danni. I would be afraid I would squoosh one while walking as I do the toads. I would have nightmares about them. Seeing Honey in that dog crate reminds me of my "three musketeers of Bellaire"- they loved that dog crate - looks like Honey does too!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, that is one thing I will not miss by not being able to go to Oregon . . . the nerve of those disgusting members of the Ariolimacidae family. They are gross! Our family has spent at least ten years on family vacations in Oregon and it was our youngest child who was called upon to get rid of these critters in the campsite (her sister would have nothing to do with them). She would gleefully do this by having the slug crawl up on a stick and then she'd fling it across the creek . . . way away from our camp site. I've even seen recipe books for these things . . . escargot anyone?
ReplyDeleteNot cool! Though Honey didn't seem too shook up over it. I'd have thougth chickens would find slugs kind of appatizing. Too slimy or what?
ReplyDeleteEwwwwww - yuck!
ReplyDeleteMy sister lives in Seattle and once gave me an apron and pot holder for Christmas... I think they were sporting ribbons or something and it said, "Seven Slugs a Sliding" or something like that. NOW I understand!
They must be pretty disgusting if chickens won't even touch them! Bleech!
Move over to the coast~I can double or triple your count. I hate the dang things, and now that we've had rain, it's so much worse. Yuck!
ReplyDeleteIs there any way you could RENT ducks for slug season? You could send them home after slug mania has subsided (does it ever in Oregon?), because I don't think they'd fit into Honey's flock.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that I have never seen an infestation like this. Unbelievable! We have hundreds of small slugs in the vegetable garden, petunias, geraniums, but B. has a very swift small Swiss Army knife. Any Buddhists thoughts on that?
This is a very scary rainy season, and I demand the sun to come out right now!
Growing up in Dallas, we used to melt them with salt. Maybe if you sprinkle the crate with salt around the outside they can't get past it to the inside?
ReplyDeleteThis looked like a good site. And they did mention ducks, toads, non poisonous snakes among others. Recommended building toad houses which sounds interesting. Bowl of beer or melon rinds to catch them.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.gardeningknowhow.com/problems/facts-about-slugs-and-how-to-kill-garden-slugs.htm
You take such good care of your critters I know you will find something that works.
I've heard that ducks love to eat them. Maybe there are a few ducks in your future?
ReplyDeleteOh for pete's sake Honey. Slugs are for eating. Actually, I bet there are only so many a chicken can stomach also. Cripe those area big!
ReplyDeleteEwwwwww!
ReplyDeleteSo does she put herself in there at night or do you have to assist her?
Those are the biggest slugs I have ever seen! Glad they are in Oregon and not NY.
ReplyDeletepoor baby girl...
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking of your 'Honey' a lot ;) . . . we have a chicken now called "Hannah" who was being pecked at mercilessly by the flock, and we finally pulled her out to save her. She lives in her own dog crate now as well! And roams free during the day. We've had a real ant problem for her...every morning her crate is crawling with them. I got this poultry dust stuff that is against an assortment of things, from ants to worms, and is used in gardens as well. . . works like a charm.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, sorry that was long winded :P The slugs look terrible! We have spiders everywhere, and I've learned to tolerate them, but slugs...ick. I constantly have them squashed in my flip-flop! Good luck in the slug battle ;)
Ha, ha, ha! I don't think I've ever seen the word "Ewww!" more times in one day than today!! I *loved* all the stories you told (slug potholder, huh?!) !!!
ReplyDeleteTo answer a few of your questions...
-- These slugs are not eaten by my chickens. I've seen my chickens eat the smaller slugs at times and even live salamanders...but never these giant, juicy, slimy, disgusting slugs.
-- No ducks will be joining us here on Critter Farm...don't have the right set-up for them and I hear they're extremely messy critters. I'll just have to try using those pans of beer as slug bait. lol
-- Honey truly loves her crate. She comes back to it twice daily: once to lay her egg and every evening around 7:30pm, when she puts herself to bed. I don't have to request, coax or cajole. I just come out at 7:45 and shut the crate door so she's safe for the night. :-)
-- Tonight, I have elevated Honey's crate onto two bricks in an attempt to prevent/slow slug access into her crate. We'll see how it goes!
:-)
hi danni....we usually have tons of slugs here but have been so dry this summer there are none in sight! good for me because i am always in my bare feet and have stepped on my share of big gross slimy slugs. if you buy copper tape and line the windows and door of honey's crate the slugs can't cross it. honey sure is a cute chicken!
ReplyDeleteYou need some ducks, they will eat them all to their hearts content!
ReplyDeleteI do not miss those big 'ol slugs. I'm glad the east coast slugs are the size of my pinky nail!!
ReplyDeleteEweewwwwwwwwwweeewwwww! They are huge! Poor honey :(
ReplyDeleteCan you get copper strips and put it around her crate so that the slugs can't pass?
We have slugs in Colorado just not that big. I remember them vividly while living in Tacoma, WA. The darn things would get into the house and leave a shiny trail on the carpet. My weiner dog would bark at them trying to scare them into leaving. Never worked. Beer is good for the slimy creatures. I think I would be putting a bowl or trough around Honey's crate.
ReplyDeleteGross gross gross. I wonder if they could be used for bait when fishing. Hmmmmm....
ReplyDeleteSuzanne
Ick ick ick! {shivver shivver}
ReplyDeleteHoney sounds like an amazing hen. Very smart and savvy.
Some folks say ducks are very messy and others say they are not. I do know they need a pond for water access. My friends who have ducks tell me the eggs are delicious.
Yakkkkkkkkkk!!!! They are seriously disgusting..is all I can say~~~
ReplyDeleteI went out the other morning and killed 30+ slugs just in the garden. I swear this is the worst year yet for the icky little critters...but I will admit I have never, ever had to kill them for bedding down with the chickens!
ReplyDeleteYou should get some ducks...they seriously love to eat slugs! Kim